Pneumatic-tire cap.



No. 798,508. PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

H. HARMON. PNEUMATIG TIRE CAP. I

, APPLICATION FILED 0UT.10, 1904.

ANDREW. s Gamm co.. Fuowmwoawwuins. wAsnmmoN. n. r:A

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HAaMoN, or

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HARMON MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTINGCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- NOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATlC-TIRE CAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

,Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

Application filed October 10, 1904:. Serial No. 227,770.

To tl whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY HARMON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPneumatic-Tire Caps, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a protecting-cap for inflatable andcollapsible pneumatic tires, and has for its object to provide a simpleand efficient structural arrangement and combination of parts by which acap is afforded that is capable of easy and convenient application andremoval without the necessity of recessing the tread of a tire, and thusweakening the tire, and which is adapted to maintain its proper positionupon a pneumatic tire without materially interfering with theflexibility and resiliency of the tread parts of the tire, whileaffording the same protection against punctures and the like, all aswill hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectionalelevation illustrating the present tire-cap in place upon an ordinaryform of pneumatic tire. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section atline m Fig. l, of the tire-cap, portions of a depending margin beingbroken away to better illustrate the marginal construction of the capand a ring of twisted strands.

Referring to the drawings, l represents an inflatable and collapsiblepneumatic tire of the usual construction.

2 is the annular tire-cap superposed upon the tire instead of, asheretofore applied, being recessed into the tread, and which in thepresent construction has a crescent or segmental shape in cross-sectionin contradistinction to being semicircular in cross-section, thusadapting it to closely iit and hug the surface of the crown or tread of'the pneumatic tire so as to be held thereto, and the free marginal edges3 of such cap are extended laterally at each side and folded withinthemselves to form inside laps 3 and pockets 6 for the reception of theholding-rings 4, hereinafter described. Between the laps and the capsare dead-air spaces 7, and adjacent thereto the cap has reinforcingenlargements 2a.

The tire-cap is formed in the main of closelywoven fabric similar inmanufacture to the ordinary woven fire-hose in general use and v whichaffords a material which is very pliable and at the same timepractically inextensible and puncture-proof when used as a tire-cap, thenecessary quality of tractility or the traction of adhesion beingattained by a coating of vulcanized rubber or the like on one or bothsurfaces of said cap.

I represents a pair of counterpart holdingrings arranged yieldingly inthe marginal pockets 3 aforesaid of the tire-cap and each having adiameter sufiiciently smaller than the greater diameter of the peripheryof the pneumatic tire to bring said holding-rings slightly beyond thecrown of said tire and outside the greatest transverse diameter of suchtire, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. A material part of thepresent improvement consists in the formation of such holdingrings of aseries of wire strands twisted together in a manner similar to wire ropeor cable and connected together at their meeting ends by a brazed,welded, or like joint 5 to form endless and non-extensible rings havingample strength and at the same time a maximum degree of pliability, soas not to materially interfere with the normal pliability and resiliencyof a pneumatic tire to which they are applied, while permitting themargins of the cap to yield laterally, circumferentially, and radially.

AThis present tire-cap under ordinary conditions will be held againstshifting by the adhesion of its inner surface upon the outer surface ofthe pneumatic tire when the same is properly iniiated. Where greatersecurity is required, a connecting-cement or other usual and commonprovision may be used to attain greater adhesion between the aforesaidsurfaces of the tire and the cap.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure l by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pneumatic-tire cap constructed of flexible non-extensible materialand of crescent shape in cross-section having free marginal edges formedwith inside laps providing pockets and adapted to rest upon the surfaceof the tire and to extend slightly beyond the tread thereof, and toclosely fit or hug the surface of the tire, with its pockets located ata distance away from the rim of the wheel, and twisted wire ringslocated yieldingly within the pockets for retaining the cap in po- IOO lfor retaining the cap in position Without interfering with the fiexureof the tire; the I5 marginal edges adapted to extend slightly within thetread of a tire with its pockets located at a distance away from the rimof the Wheel.

Signed at Chicago, October, 1904.

HENRY HARMON.

Witnesses:

ROBERT BURNS, M. H. HOLMES.

Illinois, this 8th day of 2O

